UMass is 12-6 all-time against Boston University after the Terriers won last year's meeting 15-5 at Nickerson Field.

Danielle Pelletier had four goals against UConn last weekend

Feb. 22, 2010

AMHERST, Mass. -
After picking up a pair of wins last week, UMass kicks-off a four-game home stand starting Wednesday against Boston University. Following Wednesday, the Minutewomen will return home on Saturday to host Harvard at McGuirk Stadium. UMass enters the week with a 2-1 record, while these will be the season openers for Boston University and Harvard.

A familiar face will roam the Harvard sideline on Saturday as former UMass assistant coach Sarah Albrecht is in her third year with the Crimson. Not only was Albrecht an assistant with UMass head coach Alexis Venechanos, but she also played for Venechanos at Northwestern. Boston University enters the 2010 season seeking its sixth consecutive America East Championship. Along with their five straight league titles, the Terriers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five straight years and seven of the last 10.

THE SERIES
 UMass is 12-6 all-time against Boston University after the Terriers won last year's meeting 15-5 at Nickerson Field. All six of the Terriers' wins have come in the last seven meetings dating back to March 1999.
 All-time the Crimson hold an 18-14 edge in the series which dates back to 1979. UMass holds a 5-4 advantage in the last nine meetings after last year's 13-12 win at Harvard. Jackie Lyons posted six goals, while Katie Florence made 18 saves.

SCOUTING UMASS
 UMass (2-1) is led offensively by Lauren Terracciano (8g, 2a), Jesse O'Donnell (9g), and Jackie Lyons (5g, 2a) through the first three games. Terracciano scored five goals against UConn, while O'Donnell scored five against Holy Cross.
 Katie Florence has allowed just 13 goals in the last two games improving her goals against average to 11.04 while posting a .392 save percentage.
 Through three games, UMass is averaging 13 goals per game on 49.4% shooting. The second half has been strong for UMass as they are outscoring opponents 22-to-14.

NEXT UP: HARVARD
 UMass will host Harvard for the second of four straight home games on Saturday at 1 PM. Harvard was 6-10 last year with a 2-5 record in the Ivy League. Jess Halpern led the Crimson with 46 goals and 9 assists. Kerry Clark started 14 games in cage posting a 12.95 GAA and a .385 save percentage.

LAST TIME OUT: UMASS 18, CONNECTICUT 8
 Freshman Lauren Terracciano scored five goals and added two assists as UMass defeated UConn 18-8 last Saturday afternoon. Danielle Pelletier scored four goals and added one assist, while Jesse O'Donnell posted her second straight hat trick. Katie Florence made three saves in the win.

LYONS LEADS UMASS
 After a break-out sophomore season, junior Jackie Lyons is one of the top returning players for the Minutewomen. In 2009, she nearly set the school's single-season record for points with 71 on 44 goals and 27 assists. She also had seven game-winning goals.
 For her career, she has played in 40 career games with 91 points (58 goals, 33 assists).
 This past summer, Lyons earned a spot on the U.S. Developmental Team roster and has been training with some of the nation's top lacrosse players through the offseason and preseason schedule.

O'DONNELL, TERRACCIANO EARLY SCORING THREATS
 Jesse O'Donnell and Lauren Terracciano have become two of UMass' early scoring threats this season. O'Donnell posted eight combined goals in the wins over Holy Cross and UConn and has scored in each game of the year.
 Terracciano was just a goal behind scoring two against Holy Cross and five at UConn.
 O'Donnell, Terracciano, Merritt Cosgrove, and Jackie Lyons have each scored in three straight games.

PELLETIER NETS FIRST HAT TRICK OF CAREER
 Danielle Pelletier scored her first career hat trick in the 18-8 win at UConn. Pelletier scored a career high four goals and added an assist in the win.

COSGROVE, WALKER GO INTERNATIONAL
 Senior Merritt Cosgrove and associate head coach Acacia Walker each spent time abroad over the summer in the FIL World Cup held in Prague. Cosgrove played for Team Ireland along with former teammate Jackie Rosenzweig, while Walker played for Gold medalist Team USA. Cosgrove and Rosenzweig helped the Irish to a fifth-place finish in their first FIL World Cup competition.

SMITH ADDS SCORING PUNCH
 One of the big surprises last season was the emergence of Haley Smith on attack. Smith finished the year with 33 goals and 5 assists as the third leading scorer for UMass. As a freshman in 2008, she tallied two goals and four assists in 18 games.

FLORENCE LOOKING TO BECOME A SUPER-SOPH
 As a freshman in 2009, Katie Florence established herself as one of the up-and-coming goalies in the country and one of the best in the Atlantic 10. She finished the year with an 11.43 goals against average and a .462 save percentage along with an 11-8-0 record. She started all 19 games playing nearly 1,200 minutes in cage.
 For her career, Florence is now 13-9 overall with a 11.38 GAA and a .454 save percentage. She has allowed 10-or-fewer goals 10 times in her two years.

BIG SHOES TO FILL
 Although only losing three starters, all seniors, from last season's squad, Alexis Venechanos will need to find some players to fill the voids left by the key trio of Holly Drown, Meghan Reddy and Jackie Rosenzweig.
 Reddy and Drown were the second and fourth leading scorers on the team, respectively. Reddy notched 35 goals and 11 assists to go with a school-record 78 draw controls. Twice she had 12 draw controls in a game which is among the best in NCAA history. Drown had 30 goals and 5 assists along with 44 draw controls and 22 groundballs - second most on the team in both.
 Rosenzweig started every game of her career and was one of the best defensive players ever at UMass. She finished her career with 84 caused turnovers and 100 groundballs and was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2009.

VENECHANOS ERA KEEPS IMPROVING
 Head coach Alexis Venechanos' enters her fourth season at the helm of the UMass lacrosse program. Under her guidance, the Minutewomen have seen improvement each season. The Minutewomen were 8-9 in her inaugural campaign finishing 3-4 in the A-10 (5th Place). In 2008, UMass was 7-11 overall, but earned the fourth-seed into the A-10 Tournament with a 4-3 record reaching the Championship Game. Last year, a team that looked to be rebuilding with a large freshman class and needing to replace the bulk of its offense and defense, Venechanos guided the team through a tough non-conference slate to the A-10 Regular-Season title, the A-10 Tournament title, and the first NCAA Tournament berth in 25 years with an 11-8 overall record.

WHAT A SEASON 2009 WAS
 It was a magical finish to 2009 as the Minutewomen won eight of their final nine games to make the first NCAA Tournament since 1984. UMass tied a school record for wins in A-10 play (6-1) and posted the most overall wins (11) since 2003. With 204 goals scored, UMass set a new single-season team scoring record as well as a new team record for draw controls (258). The 269 points were also the second best mark in school history.

STREAMING VIDEO
 Can't make a home game? Have friends and family back home who want to keep up with the Minutewomen? Sign up for the UMass All-Access Package and you can watch every home game live on the Internet. Along with live games, fans can check out interviews with the coaches and players, news highlights, and feature stories on the team.

ORDER UMASS ACTION PHOTOS
 UMass is pleased to offer fans the chance to purchase action photos from all women's lacrosse photo galleries that are posted on UMassAthletics.com. When viewing the photo gallery, simply click the "Buy Now" tab to order the photo from Replay Photos. You can even choose custom sizes, frames and other options. These make great birthday, holiday or graduation gifts and are perfect for and UMass fan!

SIGN UP FOR THE UMASS LACROSSE E-MAIL LIST
 Want to get all the latest information on the women's lacrosse team delivered straight to your E-Mail Inbox? Sign up for the UMass Women's Lacrosse E-Mail List and you will received game previews, recaps and feature stories delivered straight to you.
 To sign up, send an e-mail with the subject line "Sign Up For Women's Lacrosse E-Mail List" to jsinnett@admin.umass.edu.